The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel $34.99
A brilliant - and rather transgressive - collection of short stories from the double Man Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.
>> Read the title story!
A beautifully written, deeply searching and often astonishing account of Sandys' adoption and search for her birth parents. Born during World War 2 after an encounter between two people who would never meet again, Sandys' subsequent life and difficult relationship with an adoptive mother experiencing mental health issues draws out vital strands of post-war New Zealand social history.
A vivid, interesting novel exploring identity and compromise among Russian Jews.
"Brilliant, deft depictions of love, of memory, of compassion - and, ultimately, despite its title, of loyalty." - Edith Pearlman, author of (the highly-recommended) Binocular Vision
"A work of high moral seriousness dispatched with a gripping elegance. Bezmozgis's story of fallen saints and redeemed outcasts is, to put it plainly, the work of a great writer." - Joshua Ferris, author of the Booker shortlisted To Rise Again at a Decent Hour
A readable but serious discussion of race relations, government, diplomacy, war, literature and the arts. The Qing Empire and its successor states from 1790 to 1950 were vast, complex and torn by conflict. New Zealand, meanwhile, grew into a small, prosperous, orderly province of Europe. This important book explores both sides of the relationship.
The 'French Captain Cook' (1790-1842) embodied France's colonial impulses in the Pacific, discovered the fate of Laperouse and was a pioneer explorer of the Antarctic. This is an authoritative and accessible biography of a remarkable and little-known figure. How close was New Zealand to becoming a French colony?
How is it possible to find a space for the demands of writing a novel in a world of instant communication?
This portrait of literary procrastination is compiled from Arcangel's twitter feed, in which he has re-tweeted posts (all containing the phrase "working on my novel") from writers who have been distracted by social media from their writing. And it's got drawings.
A must-have guide for anyone affected by earthquakes in New Zealand, those curious to know what's next in-store, or anyone studying the evolving science behind them.
From the discovery of the 'hero fuel', through its demonisation and decline to the Pike River disaster.
An important book.
The last months of inward-looking peace and the first months of dreadful war.
"An absorbing kaleidoscope of events and episodes." - Guardian
"A moving and myth-confronting account." - Telegraph
The buildings of Portugal's foremost living architect are notable for their austere lines and their imaginative relationship to their environment.
Fold out, alter and recombine this object into your very own sculptures.
"Harding writes with superb sensitivity about the mental and physical effects of a broken heart." - Kate Saunders, The Times
"An extraordinary follow-up to the author's Pulitzer Prize-winning debut, Tinkers. His prose is steeped in a visionary, transcendentalist tradition that echoes Blake, Rilke, Emerson, and Thoreau, and makes for a darkly intoxicating read." - New Yorker
How did Mair Thomas, a musician brought up in the Welsh valleys, find herself in the rarefied atmosphere of Hut Six, surrounded by hundreds of others, all desperately trying to break the German Enigma Code?
From Adam and Eve, St Augustine and Martin Luther to Adam Smith, Sigmund Freud and Richard Dawkins, the idea of there being something inherently wrong with humans has been instrumental in our cultural evolution.
The dead of an Arctic winter. Whaling ships full of men, stranded in ice... In 1897, whaling in the Arctic waters off Alaska's coast was as dangerous as it was lucrative. And in that particular year, winter blasted early, bringing storms and ice packs that caught eight American whale ships and three hundred sailors off guard. Their ships locked in ice, with no means of escape, the whalers had limited provisions on board, and little hope of surviving until warmer temperatures arrived many months later.
"David Walliams's best book yet. The story of dreadful Aunt Alberta is a perfect marriage of text and pictures." - Guardian
An excellent survey that addresses the relationship between art and electronic technology, including mechanics, light, graphics, robots, virtual reality and the web.
>> Here are some pictures of the floor of Jackson Pollock's studio.
Cara Tannenbaum and Andrea Tutunjian $50.00
The smooth! The crunchy! The savoury! The sweet!
A good introduction to Estes' reflective, clean, and inanimate photorealist paintings of city landscapes.
The history of the region from earliest recorded times until today, covering present-day Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia and East Timor.
A nostalgic look back at happy childhood days as the Rolling Stone remembers his grandfather, a former big band player who encouraged his grandson to take up the guitar. Whimsically illustrated by Keith Richards' daughter and including a CD with a reading of the story and additional guitar music from Richards.
Why do some people risk their lives regularly by placing themselves in extreme and challenging situations? This book explores the challenges that people in extreme environments face, including pain, physical hardship, loneliness, and friction between individuals, and the approaches taken to overcome them. Using many examples and personal accounts, it argues that we can all benefit from the insights gained.
Isolation, a stormswept climate, unproductive soil, inexperienced crews, drunkenness and above all an unexpected shortage of whales meant the raw colony (1849-1852) ran into trouble. Two special commissioners were sent to either close the venture down or move it elsewhere, and a bitter struggle developed, with Charles Enderby refusing to admit defeat and Governor Sir George Grey reluctantly becoming involved. A fascinating account of colonial failure.
The Unbakery by Megan May $59.99
This book encourages food lovers to try more uncooked food by preparing dishes from raw, natural ingredients. All recipes are gluten-, dairy- and cane sugar-free, along with being vegan. Emphasis is placed on the quality of the food and how the recipes can easily be incorporated into the readers’ current lifestyle.
"I was prime minister [of Australia] for three years and three days.Three years and three days of resilience.Three years and three days of changing the nation.Three years and three days for you to judge."
From an author at the very front of automotive archaeology, this book will have you peering into every rural shed in search of old cars.
An illustrated biography of Jock Hobbs, covering key events such as his crucial role in the Packer-led WRC vs NZRU battle and the birth of professionalism in 1995, the 2003 Rugby World Cup co-hosting debacle, the heroic Rugby World Cup 2011 bid, and his battle with cancer and the brutality of its treatment.
Traces the history of magic, introduces famous illusions and gives step-by-step instructions for achieving some at home.
Astound your parents (but not by cutting your sister in half).
A "brilliant man, driven to create and entertain" or "a stupid person's idea of a clever person"? Underneath the hilarious exterior lies a sensitive man riven by bipolar disorder. He reveals much in this autobiography.
>> Hear him speak about this book.
Juxtapositions of the human and the mechanical make this an endlessly impressive survey of industrial photography.
